A paving project on Interstate 295 from Freeport to Brunswick started Sunday.

Crews this week are on the northbound side of the highway, between exits 20 and 28, working on culverts and improving drainage along the shoulders, according to a news release from the Maine Department of Transportation.

Once that work is complete, they’ll make the same improvements on the southbound side. The work schedule is 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily.

Following the completion of the drainage work, crews will remove the pavement and repave the road. They will also lengthen the on- and off-ramps at exits 22 and 24. The DOT said that ramps will close periodically, but one lane on the southbound on-ramp at Exit 28 in Brunswick will always be open. During the repaving, sections of the road may be grooved.

Also this week, at Exit 17 in Yarmouth, the northbound on-ramp will be closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Thursday, and the northbound off-ramp will be closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Wednesday. The DOT advises drivers to use exits 15 and 20 to access Route 1.

In Portland, the southbound on-ramp from Park Avenue will be closed until nearby bridge work is finished. Drivers who use that ramp can continue on Park Avenue, turn left at the next traffic light onto Fore River Parkway, go straight through the next light and turn right to get onto the highway.

The separation of Washington Avenue from I-295 northbound begins Thursday. Concrete barriers will be placed from the on-ramp, over Tukey’s Bridge to the off-ramp, making it a local through-road from Munjoy Hill to East Deering.